If you had shown me a picture of my current hair 5 years ago, I would have thought, “That looks like a TON of work!” Back then, I loved the look of curly hair. I was just too lazy to spend 30 minutes curling it. But, about three years ago, I discovered the Curly Girl Method. I soon realized that I COULD have beautiful hair- with just a few products, a simple curly girl routine, and a little time.

Read on to learn about my current curly girl routine.

Weekly Routine

One of the cornerstones of the Curly Girl Method is not washing your hair too much. Depending on their hair type, most curly girls wash their hair 1-4 times a week. You don’t need to shampoo your hair every day! 

Here’s what my curly girl routine looks like for a typical week.

Sunday– Wash hair + apply styling products (Curly girls call this “wash day.”)

Tuesday/Wednesday– Wash hair + apply styling products

Friday/Saturday– Wash day again

On days between wash day, I will often use dry shampoo powder (aka cornstarch) on my roots. If my curls are getting messy, and I want them to look good, I will occasionally refresh them with water + more product. 

Or, if my hair is getting really crazy, I just create some volume on top and put the rest in a side ponytail or side braid. 

How to Wash Curly Hair

First, here a few curly girl mistakes to avoid.

DO NOT detangle dry hair!

DO NOT brush curly hair before getting in the shower!

This will only cause hair breakage and damage. 

First, I get in the shower and wet my hair thoroughly.

Next, I take about a tablespoon of curly girl approved shampoo, such as the Live Clean Argan Oil shampoo or As I Am Cowash, and apply it to my roots. I gently massage it into my scalp with circular motions. If I feel a spot that’s particularly oily, I apply a little dab of shampoo and massage it in. 

Note: 

Try not to scratch your scalp with your fingernails, as it will cause any dry skin to flake. You’ll have a hard time getting all those flakes out!

-Experience

I try to avoid using too much shampoo (no double shampooing) because it will dehydrate your hair. After rinsing it out, I move on to the next step: conditioning!

Conditioner for Curly Hair

At this point, the bottom half of my hair is still a tangled mess. #keepingitreal

Not to worry! I just divide my hair at the centre back, as if I’m making twin braids. Then I condition one side at a time.

If I’m using a thick conditioner, like the SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Conditioner, I use about a tablespoon or two per side (more if my hair feels super dry).

However, if I’m using a cheaper conditioner, like the Tresemme Botanique Nourish & Replenish Conditioner, I use a lot more conditioner- about the size of two or three Oreos. If you have shorter hair, you’ll probably need a bit less.

I spread the curly girl conditioner on my palms and apply it to my hair with the praying hands technique. To do this technique, imagine that you’re making a hair sandwich- with one hand on the outside, one hand on the inside, and your hair in the middle. I smooth the conditioner from ear level to the ends.

Then, I spend a couple minutes detangling my hair. I gently run my fingers through any knots, taking special care to detangle the hair at the back of my neck. With my fingers, I gently work the conditioner farther up the hair shaft until it’s an inch or two away from the roots. I pull out my shorter sections in the front and make sure they’re well conditioned. Then, I separate the back section directly behind the crown and give it some extra conditioner (staying an inch or two away from roots).

Now, this is one of my best curly hair secrets of all. I picked it up from hair blogger Curly Cailin, who also has low porosity curls.

-Squish to Rinse-

Instead of rinsing out all the conditioner, I turn the water to “cool,” flip my head upside down, and rinse the roots for 2 seconds. Then I step away from the stream, cup water in my palms, and squish it upward into my curls to rinse the conditioner. That way, my curls will release any excess conditioner and keep enough to stay hydrated. As I squeeze, I should hear little “squelch” sounds if I’ve applied enough conditioner. I just rinse one section (3 or 4 clumps) at a time. 

If any sections look super frizzy and not smooth, I add some more conditioner and squish-to-rinse again. This means I don’t need an extra leave-in conditioner for my hair. Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend doing this with a non-Curly Girl Method conditioner, because you’d be leaving nasty ingredients in your hair for a couple days. But, with a good Curly Girl conditioner, it works perfectly!

Styling Products for Curly Hair Routine

Some curly girls apply their products to dripping wet hair. If you have high porosity hair, that would probably work best for you. 

But, because my hair is low porosity, I squeeze out a lot of the water with a soft t-shirt BEFORE applying products. Here’s what I typically use for styling products…

SheaMoisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie This styling cream helps enhance and define my curls. It layers well under gel and provides a little extra shine and moisture. It also smells SO delicious and tropical!

Eco Style Olive Oil Gel I love this gel because it’s affordable, easy to use, and has strong hold. It helps my curls stay well defined and bouncy for days. It also contains olive oil for extra moisture!

Aussie Instant Freeze Gel I bought this gel because curly girls rave about it. It has a strong hold and works well with just leave-in conditioner. You can read my full review here.

How to Apply Gel to Curly Hair

Most of the time I do my curly girl routine, I skip straight to applying curly girl approved gel. I pour a strawberry-size dollop of gel into my palm and work with one small section at a time. I gently graze it from root to tip and then squish it upward into my curls. Again, my hair makes little “squishing” sounds, which mean that it’s saturated with product. 

After applying gel to every section of my hair, I flip to one side and keep squishing upward. Next, I flip the other side and squish upward. I gently part my hair to one side and clip the top section with 1 or 2 jaw clips. Or I may clip the top section at the centre back. The goal is to let the shorter layers dry without the weight of wet hair pulling them down. Here’s a video I filmed to demonstrate.

At this point, I also separate my face-framing curls and make sure they look okay. If they’re messy, I’ll add a dab of gel and twirl them around my finger to fix them.  

How I Dry Curly Hair

Most days, I allow my curly hair to air-dry. For best results, I recommend flipping your part a couple times as it dries. My hair takes at least a couple of hours to dry fully.

If I’m in a hurry or want my curls to be more defined, I wait till they’re 50% dry. Then I dry them with a blow-dryer with diffuser attachment. Read this post to learn how to diffuse your curls.

After my hair is completely dry, I scrunch out the crunch to reveal soft, shiny curls!

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Ready to give it a try? Do you have more questions about my curly girl routine? Just comment below or send me an email at whatdinnywore@gmail.com. I’d love to help in any way I can!

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